1 . I still remember the day when I first came to the senior high school. Being a boy of 16, I was longing for a new life as a senior high student; but at the same time, I had no idea what senior high school life would be like.
That morning when the bus carried me to the gate of the school, I was so excited that my heart was beating very fast as if it would leap out of my mouth. From then on, I would be a student of this school. After registration, I was led by an instructor to the dormitory, where, for the first time, I was going to live without parents but roommates. I was so clumsy（笨拙的）that I did not know how to make the bed and fix the mosquito net.
In the afternoon, I took a walk around the campus together with my roommates. To think of studying in such a beautiful place made me feel quite proud of myself. As we were walking along, talking and laughing, a voice came into our ears, “Oh, look at these new students！” It was our junior-school-students’ looking that gave us away. We continued our tour of the senior school，inspecting（查看）every building and every garden until the sun began to set.
In the evening, we sat together, talking about the past and the future. We were so excited that no one wanted to go to bed.
阅读短文，回答下列问题
1. What’s the main idea of the passage?
2. What are the author’s feelings about the first day he/she came to the senior high school?
3. What did the author do in the afternoon?
2 . Regardless of how famous they are, and despite the star treatment they receive, many celebrities make it a point to give back to charities. Some have even set up their own private foundations. Their widely publicised visits to troubled areas of the world help to raise awareness of issues such as famine and poverty. According to Jane Cooper of Unicef UK, celebrities have a unique ability to reach huge numbers of people, many of whom might not otherwise be engaged in charitable causes. She pointed out that famous faces had played a significant role in raising funds in recent years, and their energies had produced tangible results, such as enabling millions of children in poorer countries to attend school.
But in spite of these successes there is evidence to suggest that celebrity endorsement (代言) may be overrated. In a survey of members of the public to find out if celebrity involvement would encourage people to donate, researchers found that the impact was not as great as previously thought. When shown a list of well-known organisations and famous people who represent them, over half of respondents were unable to match the celebrity with the cause. What’s more, three quarters claimed that they didn’t respond to celebrity endorsement in any way. The survey also showed that a few names did stand out as being associated with particular charities. But the presence of a celebrity in a campaign, was not a significant factor when it came to a decision to donate time or money. Instead, the majority of people contribute because of personal connections in their lives and families which make a charity important to them.
In another study aimed at young people, most participants cited a compelling (无法抗拒的) mission as their main motivation to give. The second most important incentive was if a friend or peer recommended supporting a particular cause. Only two percent of respondents said they were motivated by celebrity endorsement. This seems to contradict the general assumption that teenagers are particularly influenced by famous people. One possible explanation is that there is a general fatigue (疲倦) with celebrity culture. There is also a suspicion that the stars are the one who benefit most when they offer to do charity work. Some critics have accused that celebrities might actually take attention away from issues by attracting more attention than the causes they represent.
So taking all these issues into account, is it time for charities to rethink their campaign strategies and look for alternative ways to reach new audiences? Whichever point of view you favour, there seems to be opportunities for more research into how charity campaigns might develop relationships with celebrities to maximise their potential. This in turn will open up more engagement, and better targeted campaigns-which can only benefit those who really matter — the people and animals that are in need of assistance.
1. What does the underlined word “tangible” in paragraph I probably mean?| A．Definite. | B．Complicated. | C．Limited. | D．Temporary. |
| A．they gain benefit from the charities |
| B．they are forced to finish a necessary task |
| C．they believe in the famous people they like |
| D．they are inspired by the people around them |
| A．what celebrities achieve in doing charities |
| B．How young people react to celebrity culture |
| C．why young people are hardly influenced by celebrities |
| D．who is to blame for taking attention away from charities |
| A．Objective. | B．Positive. |
| C．Negative. | D．Unclear. |
3 . I’m May. high school seniors all around the U. S. scramble (争抢) to get ready for prom. Prom. short for promenade, is a formal dance held by a high school before graduation. It's an important aspect of American school culture because it's the last high-school dance seniors will ever attend.
Prom entails (牵涉) countless traditions. First a guy must ask a girl to go to prom with him. Most guys choose to do special prom proposals in hopes of winning the girl's heart with their creativity. Then he will rent a tuxedo (燕尾服), and the girl will often get their hair, nails and makeup done professionally. That night couples will take pictures, and then they will often take a limousine (豪华轿车) to dinner and to the dance. Several reports state that parents can spend upward of $ 2,000 to give their kids the perfect prom experience.
The history of prom can be traced back to the last half of the 1800s. At that time, American universities and colleges organized dances each year for their graduating students. The purpose was not only to entertain the students but also to prepare them for the wider world by teaching them proper manners for men and women.
Later, high schools took over the prom tradition. In the 1950s, high schools began moving the dance from their gyms to beautiful hotels or country clubs to make the event even more special. Perhaps the most amazing prom took place in 1975, when Susan Ford, the daughter of the country's president, received permission to hold her high school's prom at the White House. So far, no other prom has managed to top that.
1. What does this article mainly explain about prom?| A．Its unusual atmosphere. |
| B．Its present and future. |
| C．Its educational benefits. |
| D．Its customs and roots. |
| A．Their appearance. |
| B．Their possessions. |
| C．Their transportation. |
| D．Their supervisors. |
| A．What marketing plan to use. |
| B．How to behave around others. |
| C．Which food was best to eat. |
| D．When to earn a great degree. |
| A．In an official residence. |
| B．In an international court. |
| C．In a motion picture studio. |
| D．In a modern gallery. |
4 . Independent living at home is the ideal for every aging person. But a fall or other health-threatening incidents can change everything rapidly.
The wearable “panic buttons” introduced in the late 1980s were a great advance. But they only work if people actually wear them and can reach the button in an emergency. Today there are passive wearables that automatically detect falls, and camera-based systems to monitor elder safety.
Coming from a 40-year career in the semiconductor and wireless communication field, Rafi Zack decided to find a better alternative. “People aren’t devoted to wearing small devices 24/7, and camera-based systems are an invasion（侵犯）of privacy,” he points out, “The most challenging aspect is a fall. How fast we can detect a fall matters because the medical situation worsens quickly. Sometimes people stay on the floor for a long time. We have to find out how to solve that problem.”
Zack is a co-founder, CEO and vice president of R&D at EchoCare Technologies which has developed ECHO (Elderly Care Home Observer), a cloud-connected monitor based on radar technology and machine learning.
Because radar sees through walls, one ECHO unit fixed on the ceiling or wall can monitor one person (or two persons, in a future version) in a standard-sized apartment in a senior living facility. The device detects falls, breathing difficulties, drowning in a bathtub and other dangerous events. It gives out warnings to potential health worsening conditions by continuously monitoring and analyzing the person’s location, posture（姿势）, motion and breath. EchoCare tested the device in the United States, Japan, Australia and Israel. ECHO was certified（认证）in 2019 in Japan with the most aging population in the world.
“Bathrooms were the main testing area where about 17,000 deadly accidents happen annually.” said SMK Director and Executive Vice President Tetsuo Hara. “Bathroom makers, home security service providers and nursing homes are highly interested in EchoCare’s solution.” Zack noted, “As more and more elder people live alone as a result of social distancing, there is an increased need to monitor them without the burden of wearables or privacy-invading cameras.”
1. What’s the advantage of ECHO over “panic buttons”?| A．It has camera-based systems. | B．It has been widely accepted. |
| C．It can function without cameras. | D．Its buttons can be easily reached. |
| A．It is designed to send out warnings regularly. |
| B．It monitors dangerous health-related events. |
| C．It was certified in many developed countries. |
| D．It detects more than one person at the same time. |
| A．It’ll become more popular with the elderly. |
| B．It’ll stop 17,000 deaths happening annually. |
| C．It’ll be used in nursing homes and hospitals. |
| D．It’ll help elderly people to live an active life. |
| A．An Advanced Medical Instrument |
| B．A High-tech Monitor for the Elderly |
| C．The Invention of a Healthcare Device |
| D．The Improvement of a Medical Facility |
5 . Young children who have experienced compassionate (有同情心的) love and empathy (认同感) from their mothers may be more willing to turn thoughts into action by being generous to others, a University of California, Davis’ study suggests.
In lab studies, children tested at ages 4 and 6 showed more willingness to give up the tokens (代金券) they had earned to fictional children in need when two conditions were present—if they showed bodily changes when given the opportunity to share and had experienced positive parenting that modeled such kindness. The study initially included 74 preschool-age children and their mothers. They were invited back two years later, resulting in 54 mother-child pairs whose behaviors and reactions were analyzed when the children were 6.
“At both ages, children with better physiological regulation and with mothers who expressed stronger compassionate love were likely to donate more of their earnings,” said Paul Hastings, UC Davis professor of psychology. “Compassionate mothers likely develop emotionally close relationships with their children while also providing an early example of satisfying the needs of others,” researchers said in the study, published in November in Frontiers in Psychology” Emotion Science.
In each lab exercise, after attaching a monitor to record children’s heart-rate activity, the examiner told the children they would be earning tokens for a variety of activities, and that the tokens could be turned in for a prize. The tokens were put into a box, and each child eventually earned 20 prize tokens. Then before the session ended, children were told they could donate all or part of their tokens to other children.
Taken together, the findings showed that children’s generosity is supported by the combination of their socialization experiences—their mothers’ compassionate love—and their physiological regulation, and that these work like “internal and external supports for the ability to act prosocially that build on each other”.
In addition to observing the children’s propensity (习性) to donate their game earnings, Hastings suggested that “being in a calmer state after sharing could reinforce (加强) the generous behavior that produced that good feeling.”
1. How do young children loved by their mother tend to become in later years?| A．Considerate. | B．Emotional. |
| C．Generous. | D．Optimistic. |
| A．The process of the research. | B．The result of the experiment. |
| C．The reactions of the children. | D．The importance of Mom’s love. |
| A．Their moms love them deeply. | B．They donate the tokens easily. |
| C．They behave physiologically. | D．They are calmer after sharing. |
| A．What Contributes to Generosity? |
| B．The More You Give, the Calmer You Will Be |
| C．Do You Prefer to Receive or Give? |
| D．More Giving, Less Receiving |
6 . Nearly everyone knows eBay is a website where you can buy and sell pretty much anything. There are other Internet auction (拍卖) sites, but none come close to eBay for brand-name recognition. And for good reason: eBay is the largest English-language online auction site in the world. Buyers come to eBay for the best chance of finding the particular thing they want. Sellers come for the largest pool of buyers, which they hope means the best chance of selling at the highest possible price.
Buying things on eBay is pretty simple. You can type a term into the search field, or click through the categories list to get to what you want. Inside an individual item listing, you’ll see the current asking price, and a little button to click if you wish to place your own bid. Enter a price, occasionally come back to see if someone has bid higher than you and wait for the end of the auction period. If your bid is the highest, you win! Now all you have to do is arrange payment and shipping method with the seller. eBay is only in the business of putting buyers and sellers together for a small fee from the seller. It doesn’t handle the actual payment or shipping of goods. In other words, it isn’t a big department store, or a warehouse. It’s the owner of a flea market, and you have to do your own deals with the individual sellers in their virtual stalls.
To be a skillful eBay buyer, you should learn when to trust sellers and how a proxy (代理人) bid can save you from going online every half-hour to up your bid. Experienced eBay users also know how to use escrows (公正托管) to guarantee goods, and how to avoid selling tricks such as fake bids that push up prices. The more often you buy on eBay, the more you learn.
1. Why is eBay the best website for people to buy and sell things?| A．Because it has all brand products. |
| B．Because the trade language is English. |
| C．Because sellers and buyers can close their deals. |
| D．Because sellers can find a swimming pool there. |
| A．Find the current asking price. |
| B．Click a button to place your own bid. |
| C．Enter a price which is higher than others. |
| D．Find what you want in the categories list. |
| A．Get goods from eBay. |
| B．Determine payment and shipment. |
| C．Send somebody for the goods. |
| D．Talk about the price of the goods. |
| A．How to be a skillful buyer at eBay. |
| B．How to make sure of qualified goods. |
| C．How to avoid being cheated by others. |
| D．How to spare you from going online frequently. |
7 . The use of AI (artificial intelligence) is becoming more common in many branches of industry and online shopping. Traditional lines of work, such as goods transport and driving, are developing in a similar direction although mainly out of public view. Scientists at the University of Göttingen have now investigated how efficient (高效的) the use of AI can be in the commercial management of trucks.
“Digital applications—as well as machine leaning, a kind of AI—are increasingly applied to operations and courses in the transport area,” explains Professor Matthias Klumpp from the Faculty of Economics. “The question in the commercial area, however, is whether or not this contributes to achieving goals.”
To answer this question, the researchers compared the work efficiency of truck drivers with their main use of AI applications. Looking at trade delivery by truck, they studied three groups: the first drove completely following human decision-making models; the second used a combination of human and machine; and the third depended completely on fully automated decisions.
The researchers found that an intelligent combination of human work and decision-making abilities with AI applications promises the highest transport and driving efficiency. “On average, the second group achieved the most efficient transport trips, with the fewest interventions (干预) and off-course from the best path.” one researcher said, “Clearly, neither a completely human decision-making structure nor a fully automated driving system can promise to meet current goods transport requirements.” The scientists therefore summarized that despite the progress of AI in the field of transportation by truck, human experience and decision-making abilities will still be necessary in the longer term. However, the challenge is that a wide range of training and qualification (资格) needs will come along by working with Al applications, especially for simple goods transport activities.
1. What does Matthias Klumpp focus on?| A．The efficiency of AI. |
| B．The advantages of AI. |
| C．The problems caused by AI. |
| D．The wide applications of AI. |
| A．By providing examples. |
| B．By making comparisons. |
| C．By using different trucks. |
| D．By listing three experiments. |
| A．Al is better at making decisions. |
| B．A balance is needed between human and AI. |
| C．Human will soon be replaced by AI in driving. |
| D．Al applications meet the current requirements. |
| A．The future of transport. |
| B．Artificial intelligence as a co-driver. |
| C．Artificial intelligence-a better choice in driving. |
| D．The strengths of artificial intelligence in transport. |
8 . China was a latecomer to space exploration, and in the movies, it has been a latecomer to science fiction. That has probably changed.
The country’s first blockbuster (大片) set in space, The Wandering Earth, opened in February amid high expectations that it would represent the beginning of a new era in Chinese filmmaking. Shown in 3D, The Wandering Earth takes place in a distant future in which the sun is about to expand into a red giant and devour (吞食) the Earth. The approaching danger forces the world’s engineers to work out a plan to move the planet to a new solar system. Things go very badly when Earth has to pass Jupiter, setting off a desperate fight to save humanity from being totally destroyed.
The Wandering Earth is adapted from a short novel by Liu Cixin, the writer who has led a renaissance in science fiction in China. His works are great epics (史诗) and deeply researched. Translating them into movies would challenge any filmmaker, as the director of The Wandering Earth, Guo Fan, admitted.
Guo noted that Chinese Studios had been cautious about investing the resources required to make convincing science-fiction. The budget for The Wandering Earth reportedly reached nearly $50 million— modest by Hollywood standards but still significant in China. “I really hope this movie will not lose money at least,” said Guo before the movie’s release. The popularity of Liu’s novels could help. So could the fact that China has reached a milestone in space: the landing of a probe (航天探测器) on the far side of the moon in January. Although decades behind Russia and the United States, China has now put astronauts in orbit and has ambitious plans to join---or even lead---a new age of space exploration.
Unlike some typical Hollywood movies, The Wandering Earth does not feature a world-saving hero. The fight to save Earth is fought instead by a group. A vision of international cooperation to cope with the threats facing the Earth is a theme that runs deeply through Liu’s fiction.
1. What message does the success of the movie The Wandering Earth convey?| A．It lives up to the audience’s high expectations. |
| B．It marks a new height of the Chinese filmmaking industry. |
| C．It displays China’s ambition to lead space exploration. |
| D．It sets new and higher standards for Chinese movies. |
| A．giant investment of Chinese studios | B．the high reputation of the film director |
| C．China’s advances in space exploration | D．the deep research and world-saving theme |
| A．A New Era for Space Exploration Begins |
| B．A Film Based on Liu Cixin’s Novel Enjoys Great Popularity |
| C．China’s First Space-Themed Film Features Cooperation |
| D．China’s Film Industry Eventually Joins the Space Race |
9 . With the social media freely available, I've realized how easy it is to become a jealous cow. The truth is that however much I remind myself of the many wonderful things I have in my life, there are still moments when I look at those around me and feel bitterly upset by their success.
It's a horrible thing to admit! In an ideal world, I'd never want to be jealous of another person's achievements and I'd want to celebrate the successes of my friends. But sometimes it's hard, even when we want to. But I don't want to live my life as a jealous cow, and I assume you don't either.
It's easier to celebrate other people's wins if you celebrate your own. How often do we take the time to enjoy our success rather than instantly move onto the next thing we want to achieve? Last year, I decided to write a book. It was the only professional goal I set for myself and, while it tired me out, I got there. But as soon as it was done, I started planning my next goal-making the book a success. As I saw other people publishing books, I stopped celebrating and instead began to fear that mine wouldn't compete.
When I told a friend how I was feeling, she reminded me how much easier it is to clap for someone else when we also clap for ourselves. So, I took myself out for lunch, ordered a glass of wine and wrote myself a congratulations card. When I saw all those other books being written on my social media, I felt proud of each and every one of us who had battled to the end of the word count.
The other trick for celebrating other people's success is to realize that there is no limit on success. We can make more, which means that while it might seem as if others have everything and we have nothing, the reality is that life turns quickly and our luck could change at any time. If others have achieved those things, we can too. When we celebrate others, we're acknowledging their achievements but also cheering for ourselves as well as for our hopes and dreams and our belief that we can make them happen. And hopefully, when we do, those people will cheer for us too.
1. What can we infer from Paragraph 1?| A．Social media is the source of the author's jealousy. |
| B．Frequent successes on social media encourage envy. |
| C．It is a pleasure to face others' successes on social media. |
| D．People tend to be crazy about immediate success online. |
| A．Appreciate what's been done. |
| B．Show it off on social media. |
| C．Reflect on gains and losses. |
| D．Waite for others' congratulations. |
| A．pursuing those achievable goals |
| B．devoting yourself to the next goal |
| C．admitting personal incompetence |
| D．changing your attitude to success |
| A．I'm so happy for us! |
| B．What a considerate friend! |
| C．I don't care about it! |
| D．How selfless you can be! |
10 . A new product from Google may help people solve their sleep problems, but some privacy rights groups are concerned.
Google showed off its newest Nest Hub home assistant device on Tuesday. In addition to recognizing your voice, showing pictures, videos, news and weather, it can also track your sleep. The basic model costs about $100 and the sleep-tracking technology will be available for free for the rest of 2021. The sleep tracker makes Google’s product different from a similar home assistant from Amazon. If you put the Nest Hub beside your bed, it can follow how you sleep. That is because of a new computer chip called Soli, which can sense motion. Some people may like the new technology because they would not have to wear another device to bed. Some companies make products people can wear on their wrist to track their sleep.
Google says the new Nest Hub will create reports each week that show how long and how well a person sleeps. It will also show if they snore, cough or wake up often. The company said it studied 15,000 people over the course of 110,000 nights to develop the technology.
For people who want to know more about their sleep, the device sounds like a good idea. But, people who pay attention to privacy are worried what Google might do with the information it is gathering. Jeff Chester is one of those people. He is the director of the Center for Digital Democracy. “Google’s goal is to monetize every cell of your body,” he said.
Google recently bought FitBit, a company that makes a health tracker people can wear on their wrist. Some technology experts think Google may find a way for the Nest Hub to work with the FitBit.
Google says the sleep tracker has a lot of privacy protections. For example, it will only work if the user turns it on. The company said it will not use a person’s sleep information to try to sell advertising. But Chester said he is not so sure that promise will be kept.
1. Which is true about the Google’s new Nest Hub?| A．It’s the first device to track people’s sleep. |
| B．It has some functions as a home assistant. |
| C．It can be available for free for the rest of 2021. |
| D．It is the same as a health tracker produced by FitBit. |
| A．Because private information may be let out. |
| B．Because the sleeping problems can’t be solved. |
| C．Because sleep may be interrupted. |
| D．Because sleeping reports may be created each week. |
| A．Make money on. | B．Keep track of. | C．Take care of. | D．Give away. |
| A．Google’s New Soli |
| B．Google’s sleep problem solver |
| C．Google’s Newest Nest Hub |
| D．A Sleep Tracker |
